Mauritania was the last country to outlaw slavery. That was in 1981. It’s hard to believe that the West African country has been a United Nations member since 1961. But if that wasn’t depressing enough, slavery hasn’t completely been eviscerated from the world. An estimated 21 million people live in what is more commonly referred to as modern-day slavery. And a great deal of those poor souls are children.

Which is what director Jeffrey D. Brown is tackling in his first feature film, the sordid drama “Sold.” Heartbreaking and poignantly tragic, “Sold” tells the story of a young girl, Lakshmi, who is kidnapped from her small Nepalese village and sold into the illegal underground sex trade of India. Yearning for her freedom, Lakshmi is finally given the opportunity she so desperately needs when Sam (David Arquette) gives her the chance she needs to escape to a help center run by the caring Sophia (Gillian Anderson) and make a new, more rewarding life for herself.

The film opens in select theaters on April 1. Check out our exclusive clip above.